Hermes
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1897-9-10
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Hermes** *Johann August Nahl the (German, 1752–1825), ca. 1781* *Drawing; Smithsonian American Art Museum* into the graceful world of late 18th-century German draftsmanship with *Hermes* by Johann August Nahl the. Created around 1781, this drawing captures the swift-footed messenger god of Greek mythology, a figure synonymous with commerce, travel, and divine eloquence. Nahl, a sculptor and illustrator active at courts in Mannheim and Kassel, bridged Rococo elegance and emerging Neoclassicism, channeling classical antiquity during the Enlightenment era when artists revived ancient myth...